Fantasy football advice, Week 2: who to start for Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots
Dan Ciarrocchi reviews who needs to be in your fantasy lineup or on the bench for an AFC East clash.
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Start ‘em
Whether Rob Gronkowski plays is still up in the air after mid-to-late week practice reports, but Julian Edelman will remain a key part of the offense and get his targets. Jimmy Garoppolo dispelled any notion of the contrary by feeding Edelman early and often against a worthy Arizona Cardinals defense. Edelman remains a WR2/WR3 in leagues of all formats, but has greater value in PPR as usual.
Start ‘em?
Though the Dolphins bottled up Christine Michael and Thomas Rawls in Week 1, LeGarrette Blount could be helped by a game script that has them in the lead. Fantasy owners should feel encouraged starting him in standard formats after producing against the Cardinals, but his week-to-week volatility is worth keeping in mind when doing so.
If Gronkowski suits up, he is a must-start. If this is the case, Garoppolo also deserves streaming consideration in deeper leagues with the ultimate red zone weapon at his disposal. James White would get a slight downgrade in this instance, but still has flex appeal in PPR formats.
Sit ‘em
Danny Amendola, Martellus Bennett and Chris Hogan remain worthy complements in the offense, but it’d be bold to expect much fantasy value each week from them. Fantasy owners can do better.
Miami Dolphins
Start ‘em
Jarvis Landry continues to be a PPR beast, finding value from heavy volume against arguably the NFL’s best secondary in Week 1. He still has a tough matchup on Sunday, but has the talent and opportunity to capitalize. He can be considered a steady WR2.
Arian Foster revealed in his Week 1 performance that he is the Dolphins’ lone wolf in the backfield, and didn’t appear hampered at all from 2015’s season-ending Achilles injury. He totaled 100 yards in his Dolphins debut and should be viewed as a steady and capable RB2 as long as he remains healthy.
Sit ‘em
The Dolphins have several worthy pieces in the passing game in Kenny Stills, Jordan Cameron and DeVante Parker, but none are worth a start against a tough Patriots secondary. Parker has the most potential of the three, but needs to first prove he is over nagging hamstring injuries that kept him sidelined over the summer and into Week 1. Ryan Tannehill is only worth a look in two-quarterback leagues.
